Businesses and consumers exert a continuing demand on the consumer electronics industry for improvements in computer and network display interfaces for accessing functions and data from the computer. Businesses demand interfaces that are quickly learned by their existing workforce while consumers require interfaces that are easily understood and mastered. In the area of database management and data warehousing, interfaces to the databases appear to be formidable obstacles to many users who would have considerable needs for data access. Historically, database management was one of the primary computer functions; consequently, it is based on language and functions developed by computer professionals that are not accessible to the average employee or consumer. As a result, data management and access may be somewhat esoteric and foreboding to new computer users in the business and personal computer situations that would most benefit from the development of and access to databases.
One particular hurdle for database comprehension is that the average computer user finds it very difficult to frame database search queries out of the relatively complex SQL language used by many databases. In addition, once the query is formed, display of the results can be difficult to interpret and manage when it includes recursive relationships between objects. Query results that include object relationships are typically presented to the user graphically as a hierarchical display called a tree format. Using a tree format, the Lineage tree window displays objects that are related as input or output to data transformers and data resources. This allows the lineage or heritage of how a data resource is built to be traced backwards. The lineage tree function is used primarily for warehouse center metadata that describes tasks and data resources and the relationships between them. A lineage tree as displayed by the computer consists of a root and children; the lineage tree function is applied to the root, producing objects that are the “children”.
A tree view is advantageous for displaying relationships between objects because it allows the user to expand on objects, displaying the children contained within the tree. Due to its graphical representation, results returned in a tree view are relatively easy to interpret. However, tree views present certain shortcomings for conventional design applications. One disadvantage is the manner in which the display manages recursive relationships, ones that have as children an object currently displayed above as an ancestor in the tree. In standard database applications using tree views for graphical interface, the existence of a recursive relationship could cause the lineage tree to expand infinitely. Should the user decide to expand the entire tree, the computer system could encounter a memory constraint problem, leading to significant waste of precious CPU time, an inability to automatically expand the tree, and difficulty in finding objects as the view becomes cluttered with repetitive information.
Thus, there is need for a system which displays results of objects with recursive relationships in an easy to understand graphical format that also prevents the user from engaging the problems inherent in recurrent branches and relationships. The need for such a system has heretofore remained unsatisfied.